a little on Olivia

Today ECI came out. It wasn't one of our routine visits, but a speech evaluation for sucking/swallowing problems. I had mentioned to my case worker on a previous visit that I have been hesitant to feed her finger foods because she tends to choke a lot. This led us into a discussion on her eating behaviors amongst other things and the next thing I knew, we were having a speech consult. I have to admit, I was dreading it but now that it is over I am glad they came. I am also overwhelmed a bit. There are several things Olivia has always done that I just chalked up to "her being her" but now that I have talked with a speech pathologist I realize these things are all related somehow and it will affect her not only with eating but also with speech. And let me say that I am so thankful for my teaching background! It has helped me so much in the past 11 months in being able to decipher statements like "She has a disorganized eating pattern". I guess all those ARDs I sat in and Special Needs children I had in my classroom were preparing me for this. God has a funny way of doing that to us, ya know? Anyways, they recommended a few things, one of them is a Modified Barium Swallow Study where they will x-ray and video her actually eating/drinking. I am working on getting that scheduled. They also gave me these chewy tubes for her to use. I never even knew such a thing existed! They told me chewing was the best way for her to strengthen the muscles she needs in eating and talking. They also showed me a technique when feeding her baby food that will help with using her tongue correctly when getting the food off the spoon. They shared a few other ideas and they are all things that are doable and I will work on implementing into our day. I tell ya, I never really knew what a speech pathologist was before or why their job was needed in this world but now I am SO THANKFUL they exist! Moms never think they are going to have a child with special needs but when and if you do become that mom, you are thankful for any and every resource you can get your hands on. At least I know I am! At times, I get down feeling the huge responsibility of making sure Olivia has everything she needs on a daily basis and fear that I am not doing everything perfect like working with her enough on her motor development (she is still not crawling) or her language development. But then I have to remember that I am doing the best I can and I know that there are parents out there who would love to have only these type of issues to deal with. For theirs are much more cumbersome and tedious and draining. My heart goes out to them.

On a lighter note, the kids and I went to the pool yesterday and had a good time. There was hardly anybody there and we packed a lunch so we could stay a while. Olivia did great in her turtle float and Jacob enjoyed running around the splash pad (as usual). He is also now wanting to go into the "big pool" and will hang on the edge and go around. This is a huge step for him! He has always taken so long to warm up and usually it isn't until the end of the summer when he feels comfortable. So we are glad he is venturing out in the pool a little bit. Here are a few pictures from our day.

My Day at the Plaza

Let me start by saying that our afternoon yesterday was much better than our morning! Thanks to a GRACIOUS neighbor, the kids and I got to go swimming. It was a much needed break and I am so thankful for being rescued!! Thanks again since I know you are reading this!!!

This morning I took the kids to a fun event sponsored by our church. They had face painting, bubbles, hula hoops, water fountains to run through and sing alongs. The Children's Ministry really did a great job of putting this all together. They have had these days earlier in the summer, but this was the first time we were able to go and I am glad we did. We started with the sing along and here is Jacob up by the stage. If I had a better camera, I could zoom in but this is as good as it gets for now. At least he is wearing a bright yellow shirt!

Blogger is not cooperating! I have more pictures to post but it won't let me! aaarrrgghhhh!

Ok, here is Miss Livvy Lou. She did GREAT considering it was hot AND her nap time!

Then we went over to the fountains and Jacob had fun splashing around. Check out how many kids were there!!

Then he found a friend he knows! They had a blast running around chasing each other!


Next, we went back to the grass for another sing along and then we headed over to the face painting. Work in progress...



And the final result......


Yes, it is a ladybug. I tried to convince him that the shark, frog or even the snake would be cool, but he wouldn't have it! He wanted a ladybug because it was a BUG! Don't freak out Daddy :)

And on the way home, Olivia drank a bottle and then fell fast asleep. My good girl, she held on long enough...


Good night sweet baby.

Monday Monday

Well sometimes our Monday mornings are uneventful and then sometimes they look like this.

I decided to let Jacob practice with his scissors since it is the end of July and we haven't picked them up once this summer! I know this is something he needs to get better at in preparation for Pre-K in a few weeks. However, this picture reminds me why I haven't pulled the scissors out any sooner.

So then we went from that to this.





It is kinda hard to tell, but there is about an inch long bruise above Jacob's left eye. This happened while he was walking around with a blanket over his head. Needless to say, he couldn't see where he was going.

And then he decided to pretend he was a dog like Abby. So here they are laying down together being "dogs".

And did I also mention that both kids woke up soaking wet this morning and I had to change 2 sets of sheets and 2 pairs of pajamas? Oh, and also that my computer has some kind of virus and every couple minutes it starts shutting down and I have pop ups everywhere??!!! ahhhhhh!!

So that is our Monday so far....gee I can only wonder what this afternoon will bring!

Mountain Momma

This post may end up being the longest yet! I have lots of pics and stories to share about our trip. The kids and I spent the past week in the mountains of Ruidoso, New Mexico. I am proud to say I successfully flew with them by myself and overall, flights both ways were good. The kids did great. (It helps big time to have a direct flight) And its amazing what a new pack of Hotwheels can do for a "car crazy" 4 year old! I managed to get Olivia to sleep for about the last 30 minutes and things were pretty uneventful except for the spilled water incident! Jacob spilled his water cup all over himself and then Olivia knocked over the rest of it about 1 minute later! Other than that, they were great passengers! The first few days, Jacob wasn't feeling well and ran a high fever, but we did manage to do a few fun things despite his crankiness (oops did I say that out loud?). Our first big outing was fishing! We went to a trout stocked pond and fished with bamboo poles. Grandpa and Uncle Chris were a big help in baiting the line and getting the pole in the water.




It wasn't too long before we had a bite and then this catch!


Unfortunately our luck ran out soon after this and it took a good while to catch another one. The fish were smarter than we thought and would just come nibble at the bait but not get hooked. However, even I ended up getting lucky! Check out my fish!



By the end of the afternoon, we had caught 4 in all and we "declared victory" as Grandpa would put it!

Another fun day we had was spent at FunTrackers. We rode go-karts, played miniature golf, and splashed in the bumper boats. Uncle Chris rode go-karts with Jacob while I raced beside them. Jacob had so much fun as this was RIGHT up his alley! He had never ridden on a go-kart before but did great and wasn't scared at all!



Then the three of us decided to play a round of golf. Sadly enough, Jacob hit better than Chris and I did! Here is our miniature golfer in action!




We also rode bumper boats which was Jacob's least favorite. He (we) didn't realize the boats were equipped with water guns so you could shoot the other boats. Jacob liked spraying but didn't care too much for the spraying that was retaliated. Here we are to the far right in the yellow & white striped boat.



After all that fun, we decided to go across the street and check out the pony rides. Jacob took a big long look at the ponies and then decided he would "try that later" (what as in 2012)?? So we strolled over to Rio Ruidoso and splashed around in the COLD mountain water! It felt good on our toes but with all the rocks was a bit challenging to walk around. Here is silly grandpa, Jacob with a goofy face and me.



About 5 minutes after this picture was taken, it started raining and we made it to the car JUST in time! Everyone was exhausted that evening after such a fun filled day!

The next day we drove to Capitan and went to the Smokey Bear Museum. It was small but cute & informative. Jacob loved hearing Smokey "talk" about preventing forest fires. Remember "Only YOU can prevent forest fires!"





In between all of our sightseeing, we made a couple trips out to visit my Grandma (the kids' Great Grandma). It was her first time to meet Olivia and she thoroughly enjoyed seeing the kids in action. Olivia especially loved all of Grandma's beads!




Uncle Chris also took some time off work to hang out with us. He plays guitar and with Jacob's recent interest in wanting his own guitar I thought he would enjoy seeing Chris play. Chris brought his over one day and gave him a few lessons. Here they are together playing. Jacob LOVED it and keeps saying "Maybe Santa will bring me a guitar for Christmas". He got one from the grocery store while we were there, but the strings kept popping off so getting to play on a REAL one was a treat!!!



Olivia wasn't left out of the fun. Uncle Chris also took time to play with and hold her. I tried to convince him diaper changing was part of his "uncle duties" but he didn't oblige. Oh well. It was worth a shot!


In this last one she is waving bye-bye. One of her newest talents that she repeated over and over on the trip!!

We spent our last day driving up two different mountains to get a great view. Jacob was enamored with the mountains the whole time we were there and would just stare out the window in awe at them every time we drove somewhere. I guess they were just so different than what he is used to looking at. It seemed like he couldn't get enough! Here are a few on the road to Ski Apache.




And these were taken at an elevation of over 9,000 feet! We hiked to the top of an old fire tower. Ok, well we didn't exactly hike the WHOLE way up, but we did have to manage up some old steps made of stone that were narrow while taking turns carrying Olivia. Trust me--it wasn't easy but sooooo worth it for the incredible view!




Last but not least (and possibly Jacob's favorite part of the entire trip) was the ride in Grandpa's convertible! Not only did he get to go for a ride, but he got to sit in the FRONT SEAT! He was really pumped about that!



Whew, well I think that is all I can blog for now. I started this blog 5 hours ago and am just now able to finish. These were the highlights of our trip and as you can tell, we did a lot. I think we wore Grandpa and Suzy out!!! Thanks for a wonderful time. We love you and miss you already!

Home again

Me and the kids are back from our fabulous trip to visit Grandpa Sam and Grandma Suzy in the mountains of New Mexico! Daddy was happy to see us and I actually teared up when I saw him in the baggage claim! Guess I didn't realize how much I missed him! We all slept great last night and are still in our PJs today! I will work on loading pics and getting a post out hopefully later today (hopefully that is!) Remember, I AM still in my PJs??!!!! Stay tuned....

Quick Update from New Mexico!

We are here! We made it here safe and sound last Thursday. Unfortunately, my Dad's internet has been down the while time and I haven't been able to blog about our trip. I will have lots of blogging to do once we get back! So far we have gone trout fishing, rode go-karts, bumper boats, played miniature golf and played in the fresh mountain stream! We are having so much fun and really enjoying the cooler temps!! Olivia has learned to say bye bye and wave since we have been here. It is so cute to watch her say it over and over! Jacob has been a little under the weather so we have also been dealing with a moody tired 4 year old but we are making the best of it. He got to ride in Grandpa's convertible yesterday so all in the world is good now :) Tomorrow we are off to a town called Capitan where the Smokey the Bear park and museum is. It should be fun! Until next time....

Before I had kids

As anyone with kids knows, life changes drastically once those little boogers arrive! And that is an under statement! I was thinking today of all the things that I never knew until Jacob was born and I started my journey down the parenting road. For instance....

I never knew why it could be 3:00 in the afternoon and you still haven't taken a shower for the day.

I never knew that no matter how many sippy cups you buy, you always have to buy more because they grow legs and walk away!

I never understood how a mom could send her child to school in mismatched clothes or an outfit that was clearly picked out by the child!

I never knew how LONG trains could be when you are waiting at the track for them to pass!

I never knew that going to the theater to see an R rated movie would become a rare treat!

I never understood how parents could let their kids cry or scream or throw a fit in a store (until it happened to me!)

I never knew that blankets, pillows, books, and nightlights would become such an important part of bedtime.

I never knew why things like Oxi-Clean, Shout, and the Clorox Bleach pen were invented!

I never knew that you had to have en engineering degree in order to operate, assemble and handle just about every baby product out there!

I never understood that no matter how many times you pick up toys off the floor, they will be back there again within 10 minutes.

I never realized that my bathroom could be turned into a small lake during bath time.

I never knew how valuable it was to keep Infant Tylenol, Motrin and Orajel in stock at all times!

I never knew what it felt like to be peed, pooped and thrown up on (especially all in one day)

I never knew that ANYTHING can look like a monster in the dark at bedtime.

I never understood what the phrase "I've lost my mind" meant.

And last but certainly not least, I did not appreciate the value of Happy Hours!



But I also......

never knew what it was like to love a newborn baby

never knew what it was like to have them love you back

never felt my heart melt like it does when I hear "I love you mommy"

never knew how much I would love each day spent with my 2 precious babies

never knew that the bond between a mother and child is so strong words cannot describe it


I love you Jacob and Olivia and I am so honored to be your mommy!

Why I dread going to the doctor's office

This morning we went to Olivia's endocrinologist for a check up. I dread going because it is a 30 minute drive, you have to deal with parking (which I now only Valet and it is SO worth the $$ when you have 2 kids) and then the whole WAIT that usually happens. You might recall this, a previous post about going to this doctor. Well today was actually a better day than most. We actually left the house on time, arrived EARLY for our appointment (that never happens!) and they called us back right away once we got in the waiting room. However while in the room, Jacob decided to scream and cry when the doctor came in to talk to me and I made him get off the doctor's swivel chair. How dare me?? Then he kept trying to get in Olivia's face and get up on the table next to her. I eventually had to pick him up and sit him in the chair so he would leave her alone and he had a total meltdown screaming "I want Daddy"!!! So the doctor & I had to have our conversation over his screaming in the background. Had the doctor not been in the room, I would have taken more drastic measures to correct his behavior but I didn't want them to call CPS on me at the doctor's office!! Thank goodness we got good news and Olivia's thyroid is under control.

Now, on to more fun topics like this past weekend. We spent Friday night hanging out with some neighbors. The kids had fun playing together while the rest of us enjoyed each other's company.





Meanwhile, Olivia was kicking back and enjoying herself a nice cold beer!



Now before you get upset thinking I am WT and give my baby beer, I promise she didn't have any. She just loves to put the cold bottle on her gums. I PROMISE!!!

And last but not least, here we are doing her newest face--the "fishy face". We don't know where she learned how to do it, but she is now doing it all the time!!!


Three more days until we fly to New Mexico. I need to get busy!!!

CRAZY busy summer!

Where has the summer gone? How is it mid July already?? I have been slacking on the posts lately because we have been so busy! I don't have any pictures, but thought I would write a quick update on what the kids have been doing.

We got back from our July 4th trip last Sunday. Jacob started his summer day camp this week. It is Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday from 9-1. One of my good friends is his teacher (nice bonus) and he has been having a blast! The theme is Underwater World and every day he comes home with a new underwater creature he has created. His favorite was the octopus! He has one more week of camp and then its over (boo hoo). Other than that, he has really gotten into games and puzzles lately and is always asking me to play with him. His favorites are Hi-Ho Cherry O and Candy Land. Anyone have some suggestions for new ones? He is getting to be so big and I can hardly stand it! Lately he has been asking me how old he has to be until he can drive and he is ALREADY talking about what he wants his first car to be! It changes daily! Boy am I in for it or what? Guess we need to start saving now because I have a feeling he won't want something cheap!!

Olivia had her 9 month check up this week (a month late). My little Gerber baby was 27 pounds and 30 1/4 inches long!! LOVE all those rolls :) So, I just HAD to go back and look at Jacob's baby book to compare the two and they really are pretty similar. At this age, Jacob was 24 lbs 14 oz so almost 25 lbs and 31 inches so she is a tad bit shorter but not much! I am in the process of cleaning out her clothes that don't fit and replacing them with the next size. As you can imagine, we don't stay in one size very long!! Olivia has also started "talking" and is constantly chattering da-da-da and ba-ba-ba. It is so cute! Of course Craig claims she is saying Da-Da for Daddy and Jacob claims the Ba-Ba is for Bubba! Jacob is very certain she is saying HIS name and nothing else! If that makes him happy, then I am not telling him any different! And of course, I am constantly chanting Ma Ma Ma to her but haven't heard it yet! I am not going to quit trying though! Her hearing aids have been a bit of a challenge because she is constantly pulling them out. She especially doesn't like the right ear and immediately pulls that one out when I put it in. We have another doctor's appointment next Wednesday and I am going to talk to them about making her new ear molds. I am thinking hers aren't fitting correctly. Or, it could just be that she has discovered them and doesn't want them in! I don't blame her!

Next Thursday, the kids and I are headed to my Dad's house in New Mexico! Everyone please say a prayer for me flying with 2 kids alone! But we have done it before and I know we can do it again! Jacob is excited to go see the mountains and of course ride on the airplane! We have another busy week ahead with two doctor appointments, summer camp and preparing for the trip. Hopefully I will have time to blog again before we leave! Stay tuned....

Home from the hill country

We are back from our mini-vacation in the hill country. I have to admit it was really good to sleep in my own bed last night but I do still wish we were at the lake. It is such a nice place to go and escape! We had a wonderful trip seeing old friends and lots of family. We spent a night in San Antonio and visited the Tuckers. We miss them so much and wish we still lived in the same town! Jacob and Mackenzie are just a few weeks apart and have always gotten along so well. Here they are staying up way too late eating popcorn & watching a movie together.

And meanwhile, this is what Ally decided to do with her popcorn!

The next day the kids and I headed out to Boerne to visit with my sister Angella and her family. We stayed 2 days here and the cousins had a blast playing together!

They rode bikes and scooters, played in the sandbox and swam in the pool. Here are a few pics.

The water was chilly but the kids didn't care! We had a hard time getting them out of the pool! Olivia loved it too!

On Friday, we headed to Meme's lakehouse for a fun filled Fourth of July weekend! More family, more cousins, and more food! We spent the weekend swimming in the lake, eating, fishing, eating, riding in the boat, eating and enjoying each other's company....did I mention we did lots of eating???!! Here is our family picture all dressed up in our red, white and blue!


Jacob couldn't wait to go fishing with his Daddy. They spent lots of time on the lake and eventually he got lucky and caught a fish! (Look real close!)


While big brother was out fishing, Olivia played with her twin cousins who are just 3 weeks older. We couldn't get a shot of all 3 looking, but here they are playing together.

And last but certainly not least, here are some pictures of the kids with their MeMe. We love her so much!!